Overview & Reviews

Nissan was born in Japan, and like other marques from its homeland, the brand is known for crafting vehicles that place an emphasis on quality and reliability. The company's roster of products is broad, and includes sporty coupes, family sedans, minivans, trucks and SUVs.

The automaker got its start in 1933 as the Jidosha Seico Co., Ltd. The following year, this outfit merged with another Japanese manufacturer, and the new company was christened Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. Nissan initially marketed its vehicles under the Datsun brand, with the first Datsuns being built in 1934. Postwar, the brand made its presence felt worldwide, building a partnership with the U.K.-based Austin Motor Co. and establishing a presence in the United States. The first Datsuns hit American shores in 1958. Vehicles like the Datsun 1000 were based on Austin platforms.

The '60s witnessed Nissan's merger with Prince Motor Company, a union that helped the Asian manufacturer create more luxury-focused vehicles. In the U.S. it began offering its first vehicle styled for the U.S. market, the Datsun 510 sedan. By the end of the decade, Datsun had exported more than 1 million vehicles. Datsun rose to prominence in the 1970s on the popularity of its 240Z sports car. Powered by an inline six-cylinder engine, the car was coveted for its blend of style, performance and affordability. By the time the '70s drew to a close, the automaker's cumulative vehicle exports had surpassed the 10 million mark.

In 1981, Nissan shelved the Datsun name and began selling vehicles worldwide under the Nissan moniker. The '80s also saw Nissan's launch of a tuning division called Nismo for the development of performance-oriented vehicles and accessories. Nissan also brought its production to American shores, with the construction of a Georgia-based plant.

The early '90s saw Nissan's fortunes rise in the U.S. thanks to fun-to-drive cars like the 300ZX, Maxima and Sentra. But this trend didn't last long and by the late '90s Nissan's offerings consisted of anonymous vehicles. The company's future was uncertain.

After the turn of the new century Nissan bounced back, helped by a 1999 alliance with Renault that boosted the company's finances. Its redesigned Sentra and Altima boosted sales and consumer interest, as did new models like the 350Z sports car, Armada SUV and Titan pickup. Today the manufacturer is known for offering a wide range of well-regarded vehicles, including the popular Murano SUV, the incredible GT-R supercar and the all-electric Leaf.

User Reviews:

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  Im sooooo mad! - 2006 Nissan Sentra
  By Jennifer Lin - August 12 - 1:06 am

  How is it that I need a new engine? Its 4 years old, I bought it brand new and it only has 75,000 miles. I am anal about taking my car in for service and have never missed one. I had an 85 Sentra in high school and thats the reason I bought a Sentra again. They obviously dont build them like they used to. I will never buy a Nissan again. Nissan, youre dead to me now.

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  Worst car Ive ever purchased! - 2013 Nissan Altima
  By mnebags1 - August 8 - 12:36 pm

  Researched and found Consumer Reports rates Nissan well above Toyota Camry and as Ive had two Camrys with absolutely NO problems I put my faith in Consumer Reports. Took a 2013 Altima for a short, 5 mile road test on a busy road and it seemed fine. Received keys, headed home on highway and discovered a severe vibration and the car wandering all over the road. Six visits to dealer, one wheel was replaced. At highway speed its scary to drive, must keep two hands on steering wheel to keep car in lane, keeps wandering all over road. Took car to tire dealer who found three tire rims "out of round". Have filed under "lemon law" and hopefully will go back to Toyota.

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  Horrible fuel mileage - 2007 Nissan Titan
  By catiebear - August 5 - 11:06 am

  I own a 2007 Nissan titan with close to 100,000 kms on it now. I bought it at 70,000 kms to replace a honda ridgeline that could not pull my 4,500 empty trailer. In the three years that I have owned the truck I must say it has been pretty good. It will start faithfully in anything warmer than -17 degrees and is quite reliable. Unfortunately, the steering is horrible and it feels like I am experiencing a death wobble when I drive it over bumps and cracks in the road. I have taken it in to Nissan a number of times only for them to say that there was either too much or too little tire pressure. They did not find problems until my son who is a mechanic brought the issues to their attention.

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  CVT Transmission is awful!!! - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By Nellie - August 5 - 12:33 am

  I bought a used Rogue a little over a year ago. It had 45,000 miles on it. The transmission started making a weird whining noise this summer. I googled the issues and was shocked to see the list of issues with the CVT transmission. I ended up bringing it into to Nissan and was told that sometimes with the heat the CVT transmissions will whine but to have the fluid levels checked often. It did stop whining when it got colder and I have the fluid levels checked when I get my oil changed. Well today out of no where my transmission went. I wish I had researched a little more before buying this vehicle. A quick search will show pages of complaints on these transmission. Its a clear problem. Dont buy!!

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  We absolutely LOVED our Nissan Quest, until.. - 2012 Nissan Quest
  By Rachel B. - August 3 - 7:33 pm

  We loved our Nissan Quest, until the warranty ran out. Now, the car we once loved and adored, sits at the Nissan Service center, with $6500 worth of repairs on the CVT transmission and AC unit. We cant afford the repairs, since we still owe $15,000 on the car. Nissan has offered us zero support, despite the wide spread number of documented complaints on 2010-2012 Nissans CVT transmissions, and Nissan Quest A/C units. Additionally, the car has gone through 6 sets of tires, and seems to need breaks every few months. It is VERY costly to own a Nissan Quest. I suggest, if youre in the market for a used mini van, stay away from the Quest, and look at something like a Kia Sedona, which has a stronger warranty.

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  CVT transmissions are from the Devil - 2010 Nissan Murano
  By nathan - August 3 - 6:56 pm

  I have a 2010 Nissan Murano, SL, AWD. First noticed transmission oil leak at 20K on garage floor. Maybe tablespoon full of fluid, Took to Lee Nissan in Topsham, Maine and techs could not locate the leak. Drove car directly to my personal mechanic who located the leak within 30 seconds of having the car on his lift. Leaking transfer case at the impellar shaft. Took it back to Nissan who all of a sudden, could also see the leak! Fixed under warranty. At about 48K, noticed leak again. Same runaround with Lee Nissan of Topsham. Fixed under warranty. Fast foward to 77k on odometer. Wife is driving on highway and transmission stops working. Car towed to Nissan who states that both Tranmission an

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  TOO MANY issues... cant be fast if its broke. - 2010 Nissan 370Z
  By mstephenson51 - August 1 - 5:13 am

  I bought a 2010 with every option-touring sport nav auto. On paper its a great value, fast car, and everyday friendly. NOT in reality. Entire fuel system is not designed properly. 4 times in the shop now and keeps running out of gas while showing 1/4 left. Hard right turns cause the pump to starve and the car stalls. Tires are junk, they are poor in rain and only last 10k miles. Hankook ventus is a much better tire, rear should be up to 285 for better handling. In TX, my oil temps are routinely above 240 f. Theres a rattle in the exhaust that reduces gas mileage by 12 percent and they still havent fixed it. After talking to Nissan NA, they told me "Too bad..." Also, paint is soft.

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  terrible - 2012 Nissan Versa
  By cgklaskin - July 27 - 4:27 am

  If I could give this negative stars, I would. This was the first brand new car that we had ever owned. We took such good care of it, changed the oil religiously, did all maintenance, everything we were supposed to. Two years and 80,000 miles later, the car is toast. The transmission is shot and there are so many other problems, the dealership said it was probably not worth fixing. Nissan refused to even discuss any kind of deal. They refused to give the name of the operations manager who refused help. I will never buy another Nissan and will tell everyone how awful they are. Do not buy Nissan.

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  Titan Axle seal leak - 2005 Nissan Titan
  By Ken - July 25 - 9:03 pm

  I bought this Titan new in 2005. I do less than 10,000 miles a year. At around 48,000 miles both rear axle seals started leaking. This repair costs over $1000. I have never done any towing, I dont have the towing package. warranty poot, I would not buy another Nissan product. If there is anyone out there looking to buy a Titan, dont do it. Nissan needs to have a recall on the axle seals.

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  Navigation, Radio, Electrical - 2014 Nissan Altima
  By randall17 - July 21 - 3:10 am

  I started having problems with the 2014 Nissan Altima about three months into the lease. I took it to the dealership and they finally said they will replace the navigation-radio when one comes available. I told them about the car just turning itself off and how many times it did it. They took it on a SHORT test drive and said they couldnt find a problem. I called Nissan Corp and told them I wanted out of the car because it was NOT safe. Three weeks later I got a call from Nissan Corp and they said NO WAY will they either buy the car back or even help on a replacement car. I traded the UNSAFE car off today for a Hyundia. NO MORE Nissans for this country boy